Nyumba ni nzuri usiku.

to be

Breakdown of Nyumba ni nzuri usiku.

• usiku: the night
• nzuri: nice
• nyumba: the house

Questions & Answers about Nyumba ni nzuri usiku.

How is ni used in this sentence?

In Swahili, ni is the copula that translates as is or are in English. It links the subject (nyumba) to its description (nzuri).

Why do we say nzuri instead of another adjective form?

Because nyumba belongs to a noun class that uses the n- adjectival agreement prefix. Therefore, the correct adjective form for this noun class is nzuri, not mzuri or wazuri.

Do we need a separate word for “the” in this sentence?

Swahili does not usually use separate articles like the, so the meaning of “the house” comes across from the noun nyumba itself and the context in which it’s used.

Is there a specific reason to place usiku at the end?

Time expressions in Swahili commonly appear at the beginning or end of a sentence. Here, usiku (meaning at night) is placed at the end to emphasize when the house is beautiful.

Can usiku be replaced by other time words?

Yes. You could use other time references like siku (day) or asubuhi (morning). For instance, if you want to say The house is beautiful in the morning, you could say Nyumba ni nzuri asubuhi.